On Saturday, In the town of Ede in the eastern Netherlands, a tense hostage situation occurred when several people, including staff members, were taken hostage at the Cafe Petticoat.
Authorities claimed that the suspect had made knife threats against the hostages. The man allegedly entered the nightclub at closing time and "threatened to blow the place up," according to a report in the national newspaper, the Telegraaf.
Police from the Netherlands arrived quickly and roped off the area. Subsequently, the authorities emphasized that the incident did not appear to have any terrorist motive.
Arrests
After a nine hours-long standoff, the drama ended peacefully when the police arrested a suspect. A Balaclava-wearing suspect exited the Cafe Petticoat with his hands raised and surrendered himself to the authorities who were waiting. He was told to kneel down by armed police. After that, he was put in a waiting police car while wearing handcuffs and a blindfold.
About an hour before the man was taken into custody, three hostages, thought to be nightclub employees, were spotted leaving the building with their hands raised above their heads. Just before the arrest of the Balaclava-wearing man, a fourth hostage was freed.
The hostages, who were characterised as "very emotional," were, it was confirmed, safe and with their families.
The authorities stated that the investigation was still ongoing and did not immediately release information about the suspect's identity or motivation.
"As far as we know, it was a Dutch man, a Dutch citizen, and he is known by the police," Ede Mayor René Verhulst stated at a press conference.
Evacuation
A portion of Ede had earlier been cordoned off by heavily armed police, who also advised residents to "stay away" from the area and "stay inside and don't come and watch."
A remote-controlled robot was used by police explosives units to enter the town centre building.
As authorities dealt with "a hostage situation involving several people," about 150 nearby homes were evacuated, according to police.
Trains were cancelled to the town, which is about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from Amsterdam, and nearby streets were evacuated.
The Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, said, “Much respect and appreciation for the police, emergency services and the special interventions service who managed to bring the hostage situation in a cafe in Ede to a successful conclusion. I wish everyone involved a lot of strength to deal with this intense and dramatic event.”
Photo Credit: Multiple Sources
(Inputs from Agencies)
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